TWEED Shire councillor Katie Milne, who is defending a defamation action taken by billionaire developer Bob Ell, has attacked a pro-development councillor for passing on the letter containing remarks the action is based on.

Cr Milne, in a letter to The Daily News, wrote it was councillor Warren Polglase who passed on to Mr Ell's company, Leda, an earlier letter to various Tweed media that is the subject of the defamation action.

Cr Milne said she discovered Cr Polglase's involvement after conducting a freedom of information search prompted by a series of FoI requests of council documents by Leda.

The company conducted its searches for information that it included in two dossiers sent to the council alleging bias and improper practices in the council's planning department.

Cr Milne said her own request on Leda's FoI applications had revealed "Leda sought information on any councillor on the subject of Kings Forest dating back to January 2007 including all correspondence, notes of conversations, internal memos and deleted emails".

"My FoI also confirmed that it was Warren Polglase who forwarded to Leda my letter to editor that is now the subject of the defamation proceedings," she said

Cr Polglase defended his decision to forward the emailed letter, which he said had already been sent to local media and all councillors.

"It was a letter to the editor and it went to all the media. It was also sent to us as councillors," Cr Polglase said

. "I did send it off to Leda. It was an appropriate thing to do. If people make remarks about people it is appropriate they know about it."

The defamation action is continuing in the NSW Supreme Court, with Cr Milne asked to provide more information for her defence.