It is clear the coalition is keen to avoid the pitfalls of New Labour's post-97 victory when the party failed to seize the opportunity to use its massive majority to quickly introduce radical reforms in Britain.

David Cameron and his Tory chums spent years preparing for power. So when they arrived in Downing Street they were ready for change.

By equal measure Joe Anderson and the Liverpool Labour party spent ages preparing to take over the city council.

Cllr Anderson sought advice from Richard Lees in Manchester, deputy leader Paul Brant spent hours with the city treasurer pouring over the city's finances.

Prospective cabinet members were well aware of the challenges they would be facing when they managed to unseat the Liberal Democrats.

So as the new Labour administration approaches its first 100 days in power it too has set about reforming the council and cutting costs with similar zeal to the Tories on the national stage.

New cabinet member for social services Roz Gladden knew the massive task she faced.
Less than a month after the party had officially taken over she announced the biggest changes to social care in Liverpool in more than 60 years.

This move, which has not been popular in all quarters, will transform the way care is provided and hopefully make the cost burden sustainable in the long term.

A new apprenticeship scheme has been announced, crucially with money to back it up.
And layers of management are being stripped back.

Arguments will continue about the rights and wrongs of what has been done both locally and nationally, but the key to the way Labour in Liverpool and the Tories in government have got to grips with the big issues so quickly is the way they prepared before the election.

While the 100 days of new administrations both locally and nationally may have been packed with announcements on this and that, the next 100 days promise to be even more dramatic. Government departments are preparing to make cuts of between 25% and 40% over the next few years.

Merseyside has already lost its Building Schools for the Future Programme and many projects remain in limbo.

But the true day of reckoning will not arrive until October 20, when the government delivers the outcome of its comprehensive spending review.