On 12 February 2019 Leech sparked controversy when he tweeted that a potential council policy, which was still out for public consultation, was "absolute crap". Manchester Council announced it was consulting the public on a new Public Spare Protection Order (PSPO) which, among other things, targeted 'aggressive' begging and rough sleepers who pitch tents or sleep in doorways. When asked to clarify his comments by local media, Leech refused to apologise and instead went on to describe the policy as a "Homeless Tax", "social cleansing" and promised his party would "oppose it until the end of time."