A COUPLE who won a whopping £4million jackpot are still insistent on staying in their £65-a-week council flat.
Stan and Pat Cable, from Eye in Sussex, have sparked outrage among some neighbours who felt it was shameful they didn’t give up the property for a family on the waiting list.
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Meanwhile others claim the elderly pair are wonderful residents and should not be forced from their home of nearly 30 years.
The heated debate ensued after locals read Stan and Pat’s interview about their windfall in the paper.
A furious reader, Reginald Fidler, blasted the couple for staying put and penned: “They should have bought a place of their own ages ago and released the house for someone on the waiting list.
“There should be scrutiny of council tenants to assess those with the means to buy or rent in the private housing sector, thus releasing accommodation for those it was originally intended.
“It is a council house and I presume there must be lots of people waiting for a property.
“It might be their choice to stay there but that’s how I feel.”
Another anonymous resident agreed and fumed: “They’re a lovely couple but they can afford to buy their house dozens of times over – or move into a mansion if they wanted.
“It’s a shame that someone else can’t benefit from their luck.”
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But, Stan and Pat revealed they “laughed [their] heads off” when Mr Fidler’s letter reached them.
Pat told the MailOnline: “We didn’t take any notice of this chap.
“We are happy as we are and we like our neighbours.”
While a friend of the couple agreed and said the uproar is rooted in “jealousy” from “sour grapes”.
“It’s outrageous that they should be criticised for staying where they are – they love the place and their neighbours, so they are in no hurry to move out,” they added.
Mid-Suffolk Council had 3,500 properties with more than 1,900 people on the waiting list at the time.
Nick Gowrley, Mid-Suffolk council’s corporate director, spoke in response of the backlash.
“Unless they fall into arrears, damage the property or break any of the tenancy agreement they have the right to stay in their present accommodation,” he explained.
The director added they have been tenants for a long time and “their rights remain the same” due to secure tenancy agreements.
Stan and Pat’s lives changed forever when they discovered their eye-watering win.
The couple had been living on £500 a month before scooping the £3.9million lottery jackpot.
But, their only plans had been to splash some cash on a £12,000 caravan to enjoy holidaymaking in Norfolk.
Speaking at a press conference when they won back in May 2009, Stan revealed their fortune didn’t change him.
“I just can’t change the way I feel about money in five or ten minutes,” he said.
However, his wife pointed out that her husband still asked if they could splurge some winnings on a new 4×4.
She explained: “We are not going to make this money change our habits.
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“I have not got expensive tastes. This win means we can just buy what we want and we don’t have to worry about the pennies any more.”
The only item the elderly couple agreed to buy straight off the bat was a new sofa – for the first time in 37 years.
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