 On returning to Yorkshire, Burns joined the Independent Labour Party (ILP), and during the 1897 Barnsley by-election, his cottage was the campaign headquarters for the party.In 1897, he was elected to Hemsworth Rural District Council, serving continuously until its abolition in 1922; he also served on the Hemsworth Board of Guardians from 1906.He was known for wearing a bright red tie, to symbolise his socialist views.