It’s been a busy few weeks since my last column in the Argus, and I am writing my column this month just before this year’s Newport Rising Chartist commemorations take place at Newport Cathedral and across the city.

The yearly commemoration is an important milestone in Newport’s political calendar and is a solemn moment to pause and remember those brave Chartists that fought and gave their lives for the democratic privileges we now enjoy.

These Chartist demands now form the foundations upon which our democracy has been built, and the movement laid the groundwork for the Suffragettes to fight and win the vote for ordinary working women alongside working men.

I’ve always been proud to take part in the commemoration as Member of Parliament for Newport West.

My predecessor, the late Paul Flynn, was a staunch supporter of efforts to commemorate the rising and he was instrumental in developing the vigil at the cathedral to mark the deaths of the 22 chartists on November 4 1839 and it is an honour to carry on the tradition in his place.

But this year’s events will unfortunately be marred by the sad news that the Westgate Hotel, the very epicentre of the Chartist rising, will have its doors closed to visitors by the landlord once more.

The team behind the fantastic events at the Westgate Hotel have done vital work in restoring portions of the hotel over the years, as well as providing a space for live music, film crews and other events alongside Chartist commemorations.

They uncovered significant portions of the building’s history and provided resources for schools and young people to learn more about the Chartists and their cause.

It’s become a successful, multi-use venue right in the heart of our city that’s authentically Newport, and all of it has sadly been forced to a halt.

Whatever your view on what the future of the Westgate should be, and I appreciate we all have our own preferences, it’s absolutely clear that the worst-case scenario is for the Westgate to return to a state of dereliction and not be utilised by patrons or the community.

Looking across the country, this story is unfortunately all too common, where we see historic buildings fall into disrepair due to the indifference of absentee landlords only interested in the value of land and not what can be done to enhance the space to serve local people and commerce.

The Chartist Commemoration will take place again this year, including a torchlit procession from Bellevue Park, but we should all be mindful that the fight to safeguard our shared history still goes on.