Labour administration leader Kevin Keenan and SNP group head Ken Guild have been at loggerheads since the Scottish Housing Regulator published its inspection report into Dundee City Council.

Councillor Keenan believes the SNP put pressure on the regulator to publish the report this week to cause as much bad publicity as possible for the current administration in the run-up to the poll.

He is now pursuing a Freedom of Information request to determine what contact the regulator had with political parties ahead of publication.

A furious Mr Guild has threatened to report Councillor Keenan to the Standards Commission for his outburst.

Mr Borthwick — who could become kingmaker on the council if the SNP win today’s poll in Maryfield — today said the SNP and Labour should concentrate on resolving the issues highlighted rather than involve themselves in political point scoring.

The regulator rated the council’s housing management and asset management and repairs as “poor” and described the service for homeless people as “fair”.

Councillor Borthwick said, “The real necessity which appears to have been lost in this whole episode are the interests of the tenants and also the interests of the staff of the department.

“The position I have maintained from the outset is the most important thing is to get on with the job and get the issues addressed and resolved without delay.

“This does not serve the interests of the people we are elected to serve or the city generally.

“The SNP have been threatening to go to the Standards Commission and Councillor Keenan has now said he is going to exercise certain requests under the Freedom of Information Act.

“If that confirms there has been significant approaches (to the housing regulator) then the SNP must explain that.

“On the other hand, if there no such evidence a full apology is required (from Councillor Keenan).”

Meanwhile, voters took to the polls today in what has been one of the most strongly contested by-elections in Dundee’s recent political history.

The vote was forced by the resignation of Labour councillor Joe Morrow, the former depute lord provost, who cited outside work commitments as the reason behind his decision.

The poll has been strongly contested between the major parties as an SNP victory would see them come tantalisingly close to snatching overall control of the authority.

The SNP currently have 13 councillors in the city — they would require 15 to take full control — but have no power as Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats came together after the last election to form a rainbow coalition to keep the nationalists out.

Just last week, Prime Minister Gordon Brown told the Scottish Labour Party conference in the city that Dundee was in good hands under a Labour-led administration but the loss of a single seat in Maryfield to the SNP would put a new complexion on the city’s political landscape.

Such an outcome — where the rainbow coalition and SNP have 14 councillors each — would leave Independent Councillor Ian Borthwick in the position of kingmaker.

Councillor Borthwick — the longest serving elected member in Scotland with more than 40 years experience and the city’s current depute lord provost — would effectively decide the future make-up of the Dundee City Council.

— The result will not be known until late tomorrow afternoon and will appearon the Tele website: www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk